When 
Activision-Blizzard launched Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure in 2011, there were a lot of questions about its chances of success. A hybrid toy/video game based on an aging franchise? Would people be interested?
The answer, of course, was yes. Skylanders has been a hit for toy companies and Activision alike. A really, really big hit, as life to date sales have now topped $500 million, reports Activision.
Every 
January, the Consumer Electronics Show gives the world a preview of the flood of gadgets heading our way in the coming year and beyond. Some are incredibly silly, while others are complete game changers. All promise to make people’s lives better somehow. We’ve crisscrossed the show floors to come up with six products — each representing larger trends in consumer electronics as they relate to the world of media.
It 
was hardly a secret that 2012 was a rough year for the video game industry. But exactly how bad was it?
The NPD Group has the answer — and it’s not encouraging.
The 
Connecticut town that raised the ire of gamers when it announced plans to collect and destroy violent video games has changed its mind.
Officials in Southington, which is located just 30 miles northeast of Newtown, the site of last year’s horrific school shooting, opted to cancel the Violent Video Games Return Program amid widespread criticism from both psychologists and leading family-focused sites (including Common Sense Media).
Hip-hop 
and videogames might seem like a logical combination, but the first stab at blending the two didn’t go well — to put it mildly.
Icons in the industry are taking another run at gaming glory these days, however — and the results are proving much better.
The 
Sims has long been one of the strongest brands in Electronic Arts’ video game catalog. Millions of players form a vibrant, active community whose loyalty to the game hasn’t wavered in the franchise’s 12-year history.
Among those fans is pop sensation Katy Perry, who has had a long working relationship with EA — and spent the better part of 2012 as an ambassador for the game.
Alicia 
Keys had a busy Wednesday evening. After performing at the People’s Choice Awards, she hopped a plane and headed to Vegas, where she headlined a star-studded party for Monster Products.
As it does every year for its retailer awards at the end of CES, Monster packed in the celebrities with a mix of fans of its product and well known “brand evangelists” to showcase its products for its retail partners and other showgoers.
Being 
an early adopter on the cutting edge of technology has never been cheap. And the new TV sets heading soon to retailers come with a hefty pricetag, making the cost of a state-of-the-art home theater steeper than ever.
For example, Sony’s 84-inch ultra high-definition set that displays in 4K costs $25,000. The more budget-conscious consumer can pick up LG’s 84-inch 4K set for just $19,999.99.
There’s never any shortage of interesting things at the Consumer Electronics Show, especially devices or software that will transform the way people consume entertainment.
Then there are the oddities. These items may never be a big sales success — and may not even reach store shelves — but they each share a “what the heck is that?” quality that deserves some sort of recognition:
While 
he first burst onto the scene as a music artist, 50 Cent has quickly become just as influential in the world of business.
The man born as Curtis James Jackson III joined the long line of artists with their own headphone line, founding Studio Mastered Sound (SMS) last year, which has rung up strong sales at retail. At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, he introduced Street by 50, a new high-end line ranging in price from $180 to $300.
Chris Morris: Journalist 